Christopher Plummer Biography

Born in Toronto, Christopher Plummer has gone on to a stage and film career in Canada, the U.S. and overseas. One of his finer roles shot in his hometown was 1978's The Silent Partner in which he co-starred with Elliot Gould. But of course, the role Plummer will always be most fondly remembered for will be as Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music (1965), although it was only his fourth film. Since then, he has appeared in over 75 films, as well as countless TV movies and mini-series.

As for Plummer's take on his profession, he says, "I'm bored with questions about acting. There's more to life than acting. Talking about acting is murder for the artist. Most actors I know are sophisticated, charming, informed people who, contrary to popular opinion, know a good deal about other things. You don't have to sweat about it."

Much decorated for his acting work, Plummer has been nominated four times for a Genie award, winning once for Murder by Decree (1979); was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2001 for his performance in the TV movie American Tragedy (2000) and again in 2009 for his work in The Last Station (2009); and as supporting Actor in The Insider (1999) he won awards from the National Society of Film Critics, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the Boston Society of Film Critics. He has also won two Emmy awards: in 1977 for the mini-series Arthur Hailey's the Moneychangers and in 1994 for his voiceover performance in Madeline. In 1968, Plummer was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada and in 1997 was awarded The Edwin Booth Lifetime Achievement Award. In December 2002 he reunited with Julie Andrews to tour North American cities with a "Royal Christmas" show. At the age of 80, Plummer received his first Academy Award nomination, for his work in The Last Station (2009). Although he didn't win, he had another chance in 2012 when he received his second Academy Award nomination for his supporting role in Beginners. More recently, he starred in Hector and the Search for Happiness (2014), Danny Collins (2015) and Remember (2015).

Married three times and divorced twice, he has a daughter, award-winning actress Amanda Plummer with first wife, actress Tammy Grimes.